The Roving Gang
by Kenner Doloman
Summary: Four citizens of Cyrodiil, a Bosmer, an Argonian, a Breton, and a Nord, eventually find each other and become the best of friends while having many adventures.
1. Chapter 1

PROLOGUE

Hides-His-Eyes stood over the three graves, sighing. These were the graves of the best friends he'd ever had: Galmir, Jean Ence, and Vog. Laying a bouquet of flowers on each grave, he slowly sauntered back to the hovel on the Imperial City Waterfront.

The house was in complete disarray, and had the stench of death: Hides-His-Eyes hadn't bothered to clean the mess he had made obtaining this house. He was merely squatting here, having killed the previous owner of the house. He had been a rugged Imperial, keeping his house neat and tidy. He was also a competent fighter; Hides-His-Eyes had been surprised about that fact when killing him.

The Imperial had carried a poisoned dagger, but had seemed to have forgotten the fact that Hides-His-Eyes, like all Argonians, was immune to poison. When the Imperial had stabbed him, Hides-His-Eyes had laughed and hissed, "We're immune to poison," and drew his sword. He hacked down the Imperial, then threw objects on the body to cover it.

That had been three weeks ago. The day he lost his friends occurred over three years ago. Hides-His-Eyes had been stumbling through those years in a blank stupor, too depressed to do anything. It was all he could do to drag himself out of bed every morning, eat a few stale pieces of bread, and occasionally go out to the Market District to buy things he wanted or needed.

When he went out, he had to wear a hood. Everyone knew the name "Hides-His-Eyes," and everyone, even the average citizen passing by, would run up and relentlessly punch him, and occasionally even try and shank him with a rusty dagger if they recognized him. When that happened, he fled back to the Waterfront via the sewers. He had had a few camps set up within the sewers, so he stayed down there for a couple days, waited until night, and sneaked back up to the Waterfront, and entered his house.

He couldn't go on living like this. He was alone, bitter, and hated by everyone. He wondered how he hadn't been killed yet. He was always bored to tears in his home, for he had read and reread every book he owned. He was too nervous to dispose of the dead body, for fear that someone might see him. He was too nervous to go out in public. He was too nervous to keep on living.

He reached for the rusty old dagger he had owned for so long. He held it in his hand, contemplating life and death. He reached a conclusion.

He brought the dagger up to his neck, and made a quick slit. He fell to the ground, his blood soaking into the floor and bedsheets. At last, he was free.

CHAPTER 1

_Eight years ago..._

"Dammit!" Galmir muttered as his lockpick broke. He was attempting to break into The Feed Bag, where he could pilfer a few bare necessities to get by for another few days. He was dirt poor: his middle class clothes had been taken from various crates and barrels around the Market District. His only weapon, a battered, rusty iron dagger, had been found by a huge stroke of luck near one of the beggar's bedrolls. He called it "Shank," and it had admirably performed this duty on several people and animals.

He rarely had a bed to sleep in, so he'd slept just about everywhere else. Under trees, in doorways, anywhere. Once or twice he had climbed down into the Sewers and slept there. There were rats and goblins and mud crabs, but nothing he and Shank couldn't handle. Occasionally a few of the goblins carried a meager amount of septims, which he spent quickly on basic food.

He rarely slept in the Sewers, but other than that, they were his domain. He knew the most essential routes by heart. He could steal a few things from the Market District, then run down to the Sewers, remember one of his routes, and pop out in the Talos Plaza District. He mostly stole food, but also stole the occasional book. He enjoyed reading and could reread any of the four books he had stolen over time over and over again.

He was down to his last lockpick. "Please, please..." he murmured. He heard the click, meaning the lock had been picked. He thanked the gods, unsheathed Shank, and crept into the store.

He had robbed the store before, and always stole the exact same things: three apples, two loaves of bread, and two potatoes. He opened the cupboard and took these things, and put them in a crudely stitched pack he had made a few months ago. He quietly closed the cupboard.

He thought he heard footsteps upstairs. His heart skipped a beat. The proprietor, Delos Fandas, took burglars _very _seriously, and reported every single one, even if they had only stolen a fork.

Being a Bosmer, Galmir was adept at sneaking and hiding. He crept to the little wall that blocked the view of the basement door, and hid there. He waited for what seemed like hours for the footsteps to stop.

When they finally ended, Galmir sneaked back out into the open. It was a late Turdas night, with almost no one on the streets. Good. This was an easy theft. He inconspicuously walked down a back alley, uncovered the manhole, and hopped down into the Sewers.

He was so hungry, he took out an apple and ate it right there. He hadn't eaten for two days, and gobbled this one down hungrily. He followed the route to the Talos Plaza District. Still almost no one about. He found an alley that wasn't occupied by a beggar, laid his pack down as a pillow, and slept.

The first thing Galmir felt when he woke was the hard ground. _That's funny, _he thought. _I remember using my pack as a pillow._ He stood up, and looked down. His pack was gone! He spat out a curse. He narrowed it down to two options: either a random thief stole it, or a beggar took it. If it was the former, there was almost no chance of recovering it. If it was the latter, then he stood a chance.

He paid a visit to all the beggars' bedrolls; no pack. He had a feeling that whichever beggar took it, they wouldn't have left it at their bedroll. Galmir had spent the night in the Talos Plaza District, so he searched for No-Coins Draninus, the beggar of the district. He was standing in the plaza, harassing passersby for a septim or two.

Galmir approached him. "Excuse me, sir," he said. Draninus turned.

"Please. I ain't got nothin' to eat," Draninus complained.

"Right," replied Galmir, tossing him a precious coin. "Have you by any chance seen a crudely made pack with bread, apples, and potatoes inside of it?"

"Why, no I haven't. Are you missing it?"

"Yes, I am. Are you sure you haven't seen it?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure. Now, please get out of my way," Draninus said curtly. As he turned and walked away, something caught Galmir's eye. His pack was tied to the back of the beggar's knee. _That bastard!_ he thought. He lurked behind Draninus, quietly stalking him back to his camp.

Draninus had lay down on his bedroll. Galmir let him sleep for a couple hours, then violently kicked him in the stomach. He groaned, and got up. "What in Oblivion's name was that for?!" he moaned.

"That's for stealing a pack with all of the possessions I own in it, and then had the nerve to lie about it to my face!" Galmir hissed. He pulled out Shank.

"Wha...what are you doing?" Draninus stammered.

Galmir said nothing, only intensifying Draninus's fears. "P..please, put that away," he stuttered. Galmir had decided that this was enough suffering, and drove Shank into the old beggar's throat. Draninus crumpled immediately, dead.

Galmir cleaned Shank on the beggar's tattered clothes, untied his pack from his leg, and retrieved the coin he had given the beggar. "There we go," he muttered to himself. He turned around, and his heart froze.

"Stop! You have violated the law!" the Imperial Guardsman shouted at him. "You lack the funds to pay this off, so it's off to jail for you!"

Galmir deliberated for a few moments. He could resist arrest and flee down to the Sewers, but at least a few guards would undoubtedly follow him. He had no way of actually leaving the Imperial City via the Sewers, but he supposed that enough looping around the routes he did know would be sufficient for the guards to give up looking for him. He could then lay low in the Sewers for a while, and it would be safe to come out after perhaps a week.

"I won't come with you," Galmir said defiantly. The guard was genuinely surprised, then his face turned to anger.

"Then pay with your blood!" he shouted, and drew his sword.

The guard made a wild swing at Galmir, who dodged it, then made a mad dash to the Sewer entrance. At the plaza, there were probably four or five guards chasing after him, but he didn't care. He quickly found the manhole, threw the lid aside, and leapt down into the Sewers.

He didn't even bother to run down the stairs; he jumped off from the top. The fall jarred his bones, but he quickly shook it off and ran. He could hear the guards climbing down the ladder. Casting aside all reason, he bolted in the opposite direction.

Within minutes he was lost, and the guards' footsteps drew ever closer. Scared out of his mind, he bolted down a long hallway, but about a third of the way down, he crashed into something.

WHAM! He fell to the ground. Shank fell out of its sheath. He had collided into an Argonian. The Argonian wore no shirt or shoes, and only a battered pair of tan linens.

"Who're--" Galmir started, but the Argonian brought a scaly finger to his lips.

"Shhh! I'll get you through this!" he hissed. He took Shank, deftly made a small cut on his arm, daubed it with his fingers, made Galmir lie down spread eagle, put bloodstains on Galmir's shirt, then laid Shank in his hand.

"Play dead!" the Argonian instructed. Galmir did so.

The guards ran into the room where Galmir and the Argonian were. They noticed Galmir's apparently lifeless body, the bloodstains on his shirt, and the dagger with fresh blood dripping off it.

"Damn! Suicide!" one guard cursed. "Well, there's no point in punishing a corpse. Let's get out of here." The guards sheathed their weapons, and departed the Sewers.

Galmir remained motionless. He wondered if they had intentionally left one guard down in the Sewers to check for foul play. He remained in the pose for a couple of hours until the Argonian hissed, "Get up! You're safe now."

Galmir got up, sheathed Shank, and turned to the mysterious Argonian. "Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Hides-His-Eyes," the Argonian said. "The Sewers are my home. I rarely venture up into the city."

"Well," Galmir replied. "I'm considered a fugitive in this city. I'm planning to leave and not return for a while. Could you show me a way out of the city limits via the Sewers?"

"Yes, I can. Follow me." Hides-His-Eyes headed back the way Galmir had come. Galmir closely followed him. Hides-His-Eyes was very swift, and he struggled to keep up.

At last, they reached the sewer grate that led outside the Imperial City. "Here you are," Hides-His-Eyes said. Galmir had been thinking something the whole trek here, and decided now was good opportunity to share it.

"Would you... would you like to come with me?" he asked nervously. Hides-His-Eyes was surprised.

"Why?" he wondered.

"I'd be lonely, and it seems lonely living in these sewers for your entire life."

"I don't know if I'd be accustomed to living in such a wide open space. Down here I'm perfectly safe. Out there... I don't know."

"We'd be able to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Please, I've only just met you, but I feel that we have the potential to become lifelong friends."

Hides-His-Eyes hesitated for a few moments. Galmir could tell he was genuinely debating whether to stay or depart. Finally, he looked Galmir in the eye.

"Okay," he said. "I'll go with you."

Galmir smiled. He opened the big grate, and they stepped outside into the wide open land of Cyrodiil.

CHAPTER 2

Galmir and Hides-His-Eyes shielded their eyes from the blinding sunlight. When it was no longer painful to have their eyes open, they looked around their surroundings. A rotten dock, a part of Lake Rumare, and old, crumbling Ayleid ruins across the lake.

"What should we do?" Hides-His-Eyes asked.

"Well, we could go to the Ayleid ruins, there's bound to be things to do there," Galmir replied. He tore off this shirt and shoes, and tossed them aside. It was likely that he wouldn't be coming back to retrieve them. He made sure Shank was sheathed tightly, and that the sheath stayed on his frayed belt. He dived in the water, with Hides-His-Eyes right behind him.

Galmir knew how to swim, but not very well; he was struggling three-fourths of the way through. Hides-His-Eyes, being an Argonian, was perfectly suited for water: he could even breathe it!

At last, they reached the other side of the lake. They sat and rested for about an hour. "Should we investigate the ruins?" Hides-His-Eyes asked.

"Hmm... okay," Galmir said. "But do you even have a weapon?"

"Sadly, I do not. I am slightly trained in the art of unarmed combat, but that will not get me far. I hope we can find one for me."

They walked to the clearing made by the ruined marble of the Ayleid ruins. They saw a campfire, and two bandits clad in fur armor tending to it. Galmir and Hides-His-Eyes quickly ducked behind a fallen pillar.

"What should we do about them?" Galmir whispered.

"I don't know. But I would like a weapon, particularly a bow. And one of them seems to have one," Hides-His-Eyes replied. "Give me your dagger."

"But... why?"

"I can sneak up on the bow-wielding bandit and get a sneak attack in, take his bow, and toss your blade back to you. You have to trust me."

"Wouldn't I be better suited to that, being a Bosmer?"

Hides-His-Eyes pondered this. "Yes, I suppose you're right, but by Azura, please be careful!"

Galmir silently drew Shank out of its sheath. He crept around the perimeter of the campfire, trying to pinpoint a good position to strike. He overheard bits and pieces of the bandits' conversation.

"But Nachael, it's an Ayleid ruin. There could be untold riches in its depths," the bandit wielding an iron shortsword protested.

"No. These ruins have been picked clean centuries ago. There's nothing down there except mud crabs and rats," the other bandit, a Redguard apparently named Nachael and wielding a bow, replied.

"But... but... you're not even the leader! You have no authority whether we stay here or leave!"

"I'm allowed to have my own opinion, even if it clashes with the leader's," Nachael calmly replied. Galmir admired his patience and firmness. If this Redguard wasn't a bandit who attacked anyone not in their group on sight, he would have attempted to become friendly with him.

"You're just impossible," the other bandit muttered, and stalked off.

Galmir knew this was his chance. He slowly crept towards Nachael, and drove the rusty blade into his back. He let out a muffled groan, and Galmir slowly laid him on the ground, and withdrew Shank. He motioned for Hides-His-Eyes to come and take the bow and quiver off the body.

The other bandit turned around. His face twisted into fury. "I'll kill you!" he shouted, drawing his sword. He lunged towards Galmir, not noticing that Hides-His-Eyes had grabbed Nachael's weapon. He fired an arrow.

It made its mark. It lodged itself in the bandit's neck. He gasped for breath, frantically trying to pull out the arrow as blood gushed down his torso. He slumped to the ground, dead.

"Check both their pockets. See if they have any gold or anything worth taking," Galmir said.

Hides-His-Eyes looted both corpses. "Let's see, they have thirty septims between them, a couple of healing potions, and a bread loaf," he called back. "Would you like the shortsword?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I would," Galmir replied.

Hides-His-Eyes tossed him the sheathed sword, which Galmir caught with his left hand. He realized, however, that his "belt" was little more than a few strands of burlap, so the sword could not be strapped on.

"Hurry up," Hides-His-Eyes said.

"One minute. I need a new belt," Galmir said. He unbuckled the belt from the slain Redguard, and fastened it on his own pants. He strapped the sword and Shank on it. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Where should we go? We could go to Chorrol, to the west," Hides-His-Eyes suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," Galmir agreed. They found a small pouch to store their septims in, and were on their way.

CHAPTER 3

After two days of traveling, Galmir and Hides-His-Eyes were at the gates of Chorrol. The guards instructed them to wait as they opened the gates, which took about three minutes. The gates swung open and they walked in.

"Wow, this is much less crowded than the Imperial City," Galmir said.

"Indeed," Hides-His-Eyes agreed. "Let's see what there is to do here."

They wandered to the north square, which seemed to be the biggest hub of activity. It was a quaint city, much bigger than some of the settlements that they had passed, but the Imperial City had to be at least twice as big as Chorrol.

They had sat on a bench to rest when they heard sounds of a scuffle inside one of the buildings. They turned to each other.

"Should we investigate?" Hides-His-Eyes asked, wide-eyed. Galmir nodded as drew his shortsword. It felt a little awkward, as he was much more used to the lighter and shorter Shank. Nonetheless, he could manage with it.

As they walked to the building where the sounds were coming from, the door opened, and a young Breton was literally thrown out. He was garbed in a dark green robe, and he had long, light brown hair. He got up and dusted himself down.

"What happened?" Galmir demanded.

"I was just expelled from the Mages Guild, on account that I "stole" an alembic," the Breton replied. "Really, I was just borrowing it, but the crazy wench insisted that I had stolen it. And who is the Mages Guild more likely to believe: myself, a lowly Apprentice, or her, the Evoker?"

"What is your name?" Hides-His-Eyes asked.

"My name is Jean Ence, former Apprentice of the Mages Guild," the Breton said, extending his hand.

Galmir shook it. "I'm Galmir, and this is Hides-His-Eyes," he said. "Tell me, do you have anywhere to go, now that you've been cast out of the Mages Guild?"

"Alas, I don't. I take it that both of you are homeless?"

Galmir and Hides-His-Eyes nodded. "How would you like to come with us? With us, you'd be free to do whatever you would like, without having to worry about the shackles of a guild's laws. Things aren't looking good at the moment, but I promise that it will get better," Galmir offered.

Jean Ence thought it over. He liked the idea of freedom, but didn't care for the fact that these two were homeless and looked very poor. He had come from a semi-wealthy family, and wouldn't like sleeping on dirt and begging for coins.

"Okay, how about this?" he said. "I'll come with you, but you have to promise me that we'll have a permanent house or camp or whatever in two months. If that is not achieved, I go."

"Okay, it's a deal," Galmir agreed. "Oh, one more thing... What was the name of the "wench" that claimed you stole her alembic?"

"Oh, her? Her name was Solea Rato," Jean Ence said. "I swear to the gods, I will have my revenge!"

"Do you have any money on you?"

"Let's see... only about a hundred septims. How about you two?"

"We have fifty septims between us," Hides-His-Eyes said.

"Okay, so we're not doing great at the moment. Let's see what else there is to do so we can make some more gold," Jean Ence suggested.

The other two jumped on this suggestion, and the three wandered around Chorrol, looking for work.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 4

Galmir, Hides-His-Eyes, and Jean Ence had walked around Chorrol for four hours in search of a job, to no avail. Not a single person had anything that needed doing.

"Why must Chorrol be so boring?" Hides-His-Eyes complained.

"Well, there is one thing we can do..." Galmir thought aloud. Hides-His-Eyes and Jean Ence turned to him.

"Go on. Spit it out," Jean Ence said.

"We could go back to the Imperial City and compete in the Arena. You can make lots of gold there," Galmir finished.

"Absolutely not! We'd all be dead in three minutes!" Hides-His-Eyes exclaimed.

"Well, I don't see a quicker, easier way to earn a good amount of money. And besides, we have both killed men. I'm not sure about you, though, Jean Ence."

"Yes, I have killed a man," Jean Ence said in a low voice.

"Really? In what manner?"

"It's a long story.

Galmir felt that Jean Ence was hiding something, but he dismissed it. "Look, this is the easiest and most readily available method of earning money at the moment. Keep in mind that, if you would like, it will only be a temporary way of earning gold. But there seems to be no other thing as lucrative at the moment."

Hides-His-Eyes and Jean Ence didn't reply immediately. They were brooding over the topic. At long last, Jean Ence said, "Fine, let's go."

It took a shorter time to get to the Arena than it took to get to Chorrol, largely because all three of them knew the way better this time around. They were standing at the door to the Bloodworks.

"Okay, ready?" Galmir asked his friends. They nodded. He turned the doorknob, swung open the door, and walked inside, Jean Ence and Hides-His-Eyes right behind him.

It was terribly dark. The stench of blood was heavy. All around them they heard the clang of blades and the dull thuds of warahmmers slamming into the straw dummies. Everyone here looked very tough. They hoped that they didn't have to face any of them.

They walked into the side room. A Redguard stood there, watching an Imperial and an Altmer spar. Galmir went up to him.

"Excuse me, sir," he said. The Redguard turned to him, eyes narrowed.

"I don't know who you are, but you have about ten seconds to get out of my Bloodworks before I lop your arms off," he hissed angrily. Galmir was more than a little taken aback. He hadn't expected to get his head bitten off.

"My friends," he gestured to Hides-His-Eyes and Jean Ence, "and I would like to be combatants in the Arena."

The Redguard looked a little surprised, then laughed uproariously. "YOU three?! My grandmother could beat you, and she's dead!" he laughed. He kept laughing for another two full minutes. He suddenly stopped.

"Wait, you're serious aren't you? Well, whenever you three are ready to get eviscerated, just let me know and I'll send you up, you filthy Pit Dogs. Team Arena matches have recently been added, so no worries, you don't have to kill each other."

Galmir mulled it over for a second. _We could earn a decent amount of money here, but the risk of dying is very real, and very high. But, we have all had experience in taking lives, so I'd say we'd be safe._

"Okay, we're all ready," Jean Ence said.

Stifling a laugh, the Redguard said, "Okay, what kind of raiments would you suicidal fools like? Light or heavy?"

"Light," all three announced simultaneously. The Redguard tossed them three arena raiments. They quickly changed into them.

"Okay, you'll be facing three other lowly Pit Dogs like yourself. Now get up there and give the people of Cyrodiil a good show!" the Redguard said, a little loudly.

The three jogged up[ the ramp and opened the gate to the Arena. It was essentially a circular pit maybe two hundred meters across. Far off in the distance, Galmir could see the other three combatants joking around. _Fools,_ he thought. He pulled out both Shank and his shortsword.

The announcer was blaring, but he tuned it out. He needed to concentrate. Focus.

At long last, the gates lowered. They assembled in a V, Galmir up front, and Hides-His-Eyes and Jean Ence a little farther back, on either side of him. He soon saw that all three combatants on the other team were swordsmen. This restricted their range dramatically.

Hides-His-Eyes let an arrow fly at the Pit Dog to the far left. He raised his battered leather shield. The arrow buried itself deep in the center. Hides-His-Eyes spat a curse and nocked another arrow.

Galmir skirted around to the right and made a swing at the Pit Dog nearest him. He connected and felt his blades dig into skin. The opponent cried out and swung back. Galmir dodged just in time. He glanced at the Pit Dog, a Nord, to see how much damage he had done. There was a nasty gash maybe four inches long on the Nord's right arm. However, it was only a flesh wound, and wouldn't hinder him much.

Suddenly, Jean Ence shot a bolt of lightning from his fingertips at the Nord. It struck him in the chest, stunning him. Galmir knew this was his chance. He drove Shank into his neck, causing blood to spurt out. The Nord crumpled to the ground, clearly dead, his blood staining the sand. The crowd roared with approval.

The other two Pit Dogs, an Orc and a Dunmer, noticed their fallen teammate. Their morale visibly dropped. The Orc charged towards Galmir, letting loose a bloodcurdling scream as his battleaxe was raised high above his head. Hides-His-Eyes saw this as an opportunity to cause some real damage, and shot another arrow. This time, the arrow drove through the Orc's armpit, amazingly avoiding all the bone and piercing his lung.

The Orc suddenly stopped, the color draining from his face. He saw the blood flowing out of his right armpit, shocked at what had happened. He toppled over. Galmir stabbed straight down with his shortsword putting him out of his misery.

Only the Dunmer remained. He had been the most successful out of the three, delivering a couple of flesh wounds to Hides-His-Eyes, and had got Jean Ence in the stomach, but it wasn't a deep wound. Now, however, he lost all the spirit he had. He dropped his shield, an arrow still buried in it, and his steel shortsword and fled towards the gates. Hides-His-Eyes shot him in the leg, hampering his movement. Galmir capped it off by using both blades to sever his neck. The crowd loudly cheered. The three headed back down into the Bloodworks.

The Redguard's face was a mask of shock. "By the Nine Divines, you did it! Maybe you guys ain't so bad after all! Here's your pay. By the way, my name's Owyn," he exclaimed as he handed them a sack of septims. Galmir took it.

"Thank you, Owyn. I think we'll decline from having another fight for a little while," Jean Ence replied. They left the Bloodworks, and back out into the Imperial City.

"So, how should we celebrate?" Hides-His-Eyes asked.

"We could search for a more long-term place to stay," Galmir suggested. "We should try the Waterfront first."

"That sounds like a good idea. Houses there are cheap and practical," Hides-His-Eyes agreed. Jean Ence, however, dissented.

"Are you two serious? The WATERFRONT? We'll be mugged within an hour of staying there! This just might be my background prejudice talking, but I've heard bad things happen there. The word is that's where the Thieves Guild operates!" Jean Ence almost shouted.

Galmir looked at him curiously. "What 'background prejudice?' Are you prejudging everyone that lives there based solely on the fact that they live in poverty? Are you assuming that because they're poor, everyone living there is a petty thug?"

"No, not at all! I'm just saying that some shady things go down around the Waterfront."

"Shady things go down all over the Imperial City," Hides-His-Eyes cut in.

"True, but they're more concentrated around the Waterfront."

"Can we just put an end to this pointless argument?" Galmir demanded at a whisper, as there was a guard passing. "Look, I know that the Waterfront isn't the pristine neighborhood in the city. But we look just a bit shady at the moment, do we not?" Hides-His-Eyes and Jean Ence nodded. "Therefore, because the neighborhood as a whole is more dangerous and shady than the rest of the city, we stand a much smaller chance of being detected, as the patrols are too busy taking care of everyone else. Please, Jean Ence, try to see the reason in my argument."

Jean Ence sighed, and Galmir knew that he had convinced him. "Okay, let's go to the Waterfront, then," he muttered.

CHAPTER 5

It was close to midnight. The Waterfront was mostly asleep. The three crept around, looking for signs of vacant houses.

"Oh, I think I found one," Galmir said quietly. He tried to open the door. It wouldn't budge. He noticed the "House For Sale" sign. "Damn! Never mind."

Hides-His-Eyes was skulking through the crude alleys formed by the hovels when he came across one in absolute disrepair. Cobwebs covered every corner. The hinges looked about rusted off. The only window had been broken long ago. He was sure that no one would be living in here.

"Over here!" he called. The other two came over, and eyed the hovel with distrust, especially Jean Ence.

"Why, it's a dump! Who in their right mind would want to live _here_?" he wondered.

"Exactly! No one will suspect us!" Galmir reminded him. The door was unlocked, so they slipped inside.

Jean Ence was right: it was a dump. Cobwebs were everywhere. Two tattered bedrolls lay on the floor. There were a few barrels and crates around. Closer inspection revealed that they were home to only moldy fruit and cheese. There was a crude table and two wobbly chairs in one corner.

"It's perfect," Galmir announced. "Granted, a little chilly, but at least a roof's over our heads. And it's free!"

"If you say so. How long would we be staying here?" Jean Ence asked.

"No idea. At least a month or so."

"A month?! Look at this place! It's absolutely unfit for living!"

"We can spruce it up a bit," Hides-His-Eyes said. "Clean out all the moldy food, get a small fire going, and it's fairly cozy."

"I guess so," Jean Ence grumbled. He moved over to a crate and pulled out three apples covered on mold, and tossed them outside. "Well, that's the first step. I suppose that I could cast a minor magical flame in the center. It will be magical, so materials will not burn from it, and I'll make it everlasting." He made a gesture and said a quick incantation, and a small orange flame materialized in the center of the shack. It was as warm as a campfire, but didn't consume any flammable materials like the bedrolls.

Galmir and Hides-His-Eyes cleaned out the rest of the containers, and threw all the spoiled food outside. Galmir clapped his hands together. "So," he said, "now we have a long term base. It could be better, but at least we have a warm roof over our heads. Let's go to bed."

Hides-His-Eyes took the floor, and Jean Ence and Galmir slept on the bedrolls. _At last,_ Galmir thought before drifting off to sleep, _I have a place to call home._

CHAPTER 6

Galmir awoke. The magical fire was still burning. He shook Hides-His-Eyes and Jean Ence. "Wake up. We have much to do today," he told them.

They were a little groggy, but rose without much complaint. "Hides-His-Eyes, can you grab the sack with the gold, please?" Galmir asked. Hides-His-Eyes grabbed it off the table and handed it to him.

"Okay, today we're going to go out and try to make this place more livable. You know, getting another bedroll and chair, plates, silverware, clothes, that sort of thing. Here's thirty septims for each of us." He doled out thirty septims to Jean Ence and Hides-His-Eyes, and fished out thirty more for himself. He placed the sack back on the table. "Now, with the exception of Jean Ence, we look like beggars, so it would be a little suspicious for us to just wander into a shop. Around the Market District, there are various crates that may have clothes in them. We should dig through those a bit, and wear them around town."

"That sounds like a good idea," Jean Ence said.

"If we so choose, we could also pilfer things from houses," Hides-His-Eyes suggested. "It is a little difficult to find plates and cutlery for sale, and I don't think someone would miss a couple of plates."

"Yes, but it's also in broad daylight. If we want to do that, we must wait until nightfall," Galmir reminded him. "Now, to the Market District!"

Hides-His-Eyes showed them a shortcut through the Sewers, and within an hour, they popped up in the Market District. "Okay, everyone split up," Galmir instructed. They each went a separate way.

Galmir meandered to the square where such shops as the Three Brothers Trade Goods were. He opened various crates and eventually found what he deemed a suitable outfit: a pair of tan linens, a dark green shirt, and a pair of rough leather shoes. He darted into an alley and quickly changed.

The clothes felt fantastic. Never before had he felt so comfortable wearing clothes. Everything fit perfectly, and was warm. Now that he looked like an actual citizen, he went into the Three Brothers shop.

"Welcome to Three Brothers Trade Goods. How may I help you?" one of the brothers asked.

"Yes, do you sell things like bedrolls and chairs?" Galmir asked.

"Why, of course! Bedrolls sell for twenty septims each, and chairs for forty. Would you like to buy either?"

"Yes, could I buy one bedroll, please?"

"Certainly!" The Imperial handed Galmir a bedroll that was rolled up and tied. "That'll be twenty septims."

Galmir handed him the twenty coins, and returned to the Waterfront. He unrolled the bedroll next to the other two, and headed back out. The sun was just starting to dip, but he figured that he had a few more hours to do things.

He walked to the ships, and entered the Bloated Float Inn. The innkeeper greeted him warmly. "Would you like a drink?" he asked.

Galmir declined, and quickly scanned the main dining area. Each table featured four clay plates and cups, four forks and four knives. He saw this as a perfect opportunity to pilfer some dining equipment, but he was in plain sight of the innkeeper. He knew he had to wait it out.

The innkeeper turned around to talk to the other employee, an Orc. Galmir snatched three plates and three forks, and quickly departed.

He laid out the plates and silverware on the table. Right at the moment, Jean Ence walked in.

"What have you found?" Galmir asked.

"Well, I bought some food and a dagger for myself. I found some alchemy ingredients around the city, so I'll try and make some potions. Oh, by the way, nice clothes," Jean Ence replied.

"Thank you. I also got an extra bedroll and some actual silverware. Oh, and store the food you bought in one of the barrels."

Jean Ence dropped three potatoes, two loaves of bread, and an apple into the nearest barrel. "Have you seen Hides-His-Eyes?"

"No, I haven't. I doubt we should worry, though. There's plenty of time left in the day."

However, the hours quickly passed, and Hides-His-Eyes was still nowhere to be found. Galmir grew worried.

"I'm going to go look for him," he announced. As soon as he got up, though, the door burst open. Hides-His-Eyes stumbled in, blood oozing out of some wounds he had acquired.

"What happened?!" Jean Ence demanded.

Hides-His-Eyes tried to speak, then closed his mouth. It happened again. Finally, he managed to choke out:

"I was attacked!"


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 7

"You were attacked? By who?" Galmir asked.

"I was mugged by three men. It was hard to identify them; they all wore hoods. One of them looked like a Nord, but I can't be certain. They took all the septims I had. I'm sorry," Hides-His-Eyes said.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault," Jean Ence cut in. "Did you catch anything that they were saying?"

"As they were leaving, I caught the word 'skooma,' which leads me to believe that that's their motive for mugging."

"Well, we should find them," Galmir said. "Skooma addicts are filthy things."

"Where would we look, though? They could be anywhere in the city," Jean Ence asked.

"Hides-His-Eyes, where were you mugged?"

"In the Temple District," Hides-His-Eyes replied. "I was just passing through, when suddenly, I was pulled into an alley. They threw me to the ground and delivered kicks and punches. While I was curled up into a ball, they took the money from my pockets, and left."

"Well, that would be the logical place to start, now wouldn't it? Let's head over there, even though it's late," Jean Ence suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Galmir agreed.

After walking for about thirty minutes, they were in the Temple District. It was very late; the only people about were guards on the graveyard shift.

"Damn! We'll never find them!" Hides-His-Eyes spat.

"Wait a minute," Galmir said, holding up his hand. He crouched down low, examining the ground. "There's a trail of liquid here. It could lead to something. Let's follow it, and by the Nine Divines, keep away from the liquid!"

The three moved at a snail's pace, making sure Galmir kept following the trail of liquid. Eventually, they came to a house.

"The trail just stops at the door. This must be where the users are holed up," Galmir said. He tried opening the door. Predictably, it was locked. "This lock seems hard to pick, and I only have a few picks on me. Hides-His-Eyes, you're an Argonian. Can you pick this lock?"

"Of course," Hides-His-Eyes agreed. Galmir handed him four lockpicks. Hides-His-Eyes immediately started work, cursing aplenty. He broke two picks before finally picking the lock open.

The three stepped inside. It was eerily quiet. A couple empty bottles of skooma were strewn about on the table. The whole house looked like a dump.

"Okay, Jean Ence, search the basement. Hides-His-Eyes, stay at the ground floor. I'll go upstairs," Galmir whispered. The other two nodded, and he slowly climbed up the stairs. The dor to the private quarters was unlocked, so Galmir opened it.

There were three figures sleeping. Two were on the bed, and the third was on the floor. The one on the floor looked like the Nord Hides-His-Eyes described. The other two were a Khajiit and a Dunmer. Galmir noticed a few more bottles of skooma on the floor and nightstand. He wanted to kill the filthy addicts. He had a very low tolerance for drug users.

Galmir figured he'd start with the Nord. He withdrew Shank and crept toward him. Suddenly, the Nord woke with a start.

"Who are you?!" he roared. Galmir waited for the other two addicts to wake up and attack, but they didn't. He was confused.

"Who are _you_, and why are those guys still asleep?" Galmir retorted in a venomous voice. The Nord's mood suddenly changed. His face was one of regret and sorrow.

"My name is Vog. The fact of the matter is that those two aren't asleep. I killed them just a few hours ago," the Nord said, his voice thick with emotion.

"Why did you kill them?"

"They're vile things. I didn't want to mug that Argonian, I really didn't. They forced me to." Vog showed Galmir his arm. "They cut me deep. I'm surprised they didn't get a vein and kill me."

"So... you're remorseful?"

"Yes, yes! I wish I'd never touched skooma. It's a terrible thing to be addicted to, it really is. You don't care about anything except your next dose. Please, spare my life. I'll make it up to you in any way possible, I give you my word!"

Galmir studied Vog for a moment. He was a broken man; years of addiction had taken its toll. His skin was leathery and cracked; his eyes were bloodshot and distrustful. He wanted to give this man a second chance.

"Okay, you can come with us. The Argonian you mugged is my friend. His name is Hides-His-Eyes. Do you still have the money you- I mean, they took from him?" Galmir asked.

"Yes, I do," Vog said. He opened the nightstand, and pulled out Hides-His-Eyes's pouch. "Come on."


End file.
